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37signals Adds Deals Functionality to Highrise

Scott Blitstein — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:00:46 +0000

37signals recently announced the addition of Deals functionality into their Highrise CRM product. Deals allow you to track your bids, proposals and sales opportunities with all of the Highrise goodness you would expect. Quickly assign them to clients, add files, and keep everyone updated on status. While they are not to the level of opportunity tracking in a Salesforce or full sales cycle product, they are well done and really quite useful for those who use Highrise in a sales arena. Their video explanation does a great job at highlighting the main features.

While I applaud them for the added functionality, I think the limitations they have placed on their use in some of their plans are a bit restrictive. For example, those on a standard $24/month 6 user Small Business plan only get the ability to track 5 open deals. It is true that only active deals count towards that figure, but 5 deals in a sales pipeline for a 6 user team isn’t likely to be sufficient. Want more? Pro and Plus plans give you unlimited Deals but start at double the monthly fee.

I certainly understand the tiered pricing model of web services but I don’t see the point of introducing such useful new functionality and then so severely limiting its usage. I do hope they reconsider and up that number so that even those with the mid-level accounts can benefit from them.

How do you track your deals?

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BatchBook Adds BatchBox Email Forwarding

Scott Blitstein — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:00:21 +0000

For a lot of us, email is still the lifeblood of our communication so its integration with our other systems is critical. Earlier I reported on Mailmanagr and how it brings email integration to Basecamp. Today I get to report on BatchBook, my contact management app of choice, and the introduction of what they are calling BatchBox.

BatchBox is an email interface into BatchBook that will automatically store forwarded content as a communication entry attached to your contact, and even create a new contact if necessary. It even retains attachments. This sort of functionality has been present in other Contact Management apps so their implementation isn’t necessarily revolutionary, but its inclusion fills a gap in their feature set that makes an already useful service that much more so.

Also new is the ability to create new communication entries and to-do items from on a contact’s page. It’s a small touch but this integration goes a long way to make for easier workflow and usability.

BatchBook sits along with other services like Highrise as a Contact and Communication manager, recognizing not only the importance of tracking contact information but also integrating CRM functionality to keep a record of who you talked to, what you talked about and when.

Where I think BatchBook excels, and the main reason I chose it over the others for my use is their inclusion of what they call SuperTags. SuperTags are grouped custom fields that allow you to collect and track additional data about your contacts.

Group folks together with a SuperTag and then you can gather more specific information you might need about that group. Track different information for vendors, customers, employees. A contact not assigned a SuperTag won’t display the fields. It’s very customizable, very powerful, and very cool.

Another standout is their affiliation system. This allows you to link contacts together in creative ways. Track siblings, spouses, referrals, really any connection can be accommodated.

Other features include an iPhone friendly interface, batch processing of contacts, SSL security at all plan levels, multiple location tracking and even label printing. Data is easily imported and exported for use in other programs or services.

BatchBook also integrates to-do functionality that, while not a replacement for a full service like Toodledo or Remember The Milk, is sufficient for follow up tasks and items tied to your contacts.

Finding the contact management system that works for you can be daunting, and lead to great debate, but I have certainly found BatchBook to be a worthy contender. Updates and improvements seem frequent and support in the user forums is quick and friendly.

BatchBook is a monthly subscription service with plans starting at a no-nag free up to a $99 Indigo plan which offers unlimited contacts, storage and users. All paid accounts get two free hours of one-on-one consultation to help you get started. Check out a demo and scan their offerings.

Have you chosen a Contact Management App for you and your business? Would BatchBook work for you?

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37signals Introduces New Affiliate Program

Scott Blitstein — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:00:32 +0000

Web Workers love to share their productivity secrets, and we can be quite evangelical about the tools that we use to manage our business. The folks over at 37signals have launched a new affiliate program for their Basecamp, Backpack and Highrise services that might be particularly appealing for someone who is already likely to be referring or recommending their services.

Unlike their previous program which gave you a one time credit applied to your account, this new plan pays you cash. You can get a one time bonus of 50% of sign up costs and then recurring revenues of 5% of future payments from people you refer. Lots of programs give you a sign up bonus but the recurring payment is a nice option and could really add up to significant sums.

They provide the standard links and graphics to help you promote and you can check your earnings in real time. Payments are made when you reach a $100 balance and are distributed through PayPal only. It is limited to the U.S. only for now. If you are already recommending their services, you can now get a couple of dollars in your pocket for your efforts.

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